Moses g



(No Model.)

CAR TRUCK.

Patented Feb. 23, 1897.

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l NDRRIS PEYERS CO PHOYDLIYH@ WASNNGTON 0 C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MOSES G. HBBARD, JR., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE MCGUIRE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-TRUCK.4

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,481, dated February 23, 189'?.

Application filed February 20,1894. Serial No. 500,932. (No model.)

Z'o a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MosEs G. HUBBARD, Jr. a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Trucks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a plan View. Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

My invention relates to car-trucks, and has to do more particularly with spring-supports for four-wheeled cars. Y

It consists, generally stated, in an improved construction and combination of elliptical and spiral springs for supporting the carbody.

What I regard as new will be pointed out in the claims.

In steam-railroad service it has been found that the best results, both for easy riding and durability, have been obtained by combining spiral and full elliptic springs, and while the conditions of dummy or street railroading are very different, yet the best results have been obtained by modifying steam-railroad practice to conform to the requirements of streetrailroad service. This has heretofore been done lto a certain extent by myself and others, but the results have not been satisfactory, because at high speed four Wheeled cars would still rock longitudinally, even with full elliptic springs located on the ends 0r corners of the truck-frame, and it is not practicable to extend the truck-frames farther to prevent such rocking without making them too heavy. I overcome this longitudinal rocking without extending the truck-frame by supporting the car-body upon spiral springs and providing what Imay term extension or three-quarter elliptic springs at each corner of the truck-frame, the latter springs having arms extending beyond the truck-frame and constituting an extended spring-base beyond the truck-frame, with the result that the longitudinal rocking is overcome. The spiral springs may be arranged either between the axles of the truck on both sides of the axles, or on parts of the truck-frame extending beyond the axles.

The three-quarter elliptic spring which I use consists of a lower part 3, which is attached to the truck-frame 4 at or near the corner, and has two extensions 5 and 6 from such point of attachment of unequal length, the longer extension 5 curving out and up to engage or support the upper truck-frame 7, (or what is equivalent, the car-body,) and the short extension 6 curving up and back toward the truck-axle 8, and an upper part 9, one end of which is attached to the car-body or upper truek-frame 7, the other or free end of said upper part curving back and down from said point of attachment and engaging the short end piece of said lower part 3, their ends or extremities only coming in contact with each other.

10 and ll indicate spiral springs, which, as shown, are arranged at opposite sides of the Wheel-axles `8, but, as above stated, they may be arranged on the vsame side of the axle.

One of the three-quarter elliptic springs is placed at each corner of the truck-frame, the long extensions of each spring projecting outward. The result of this construction is to give an additional bearing for the car-body out beyond the truck-frame, thereby eifeetuA ally preventing all longitudinal rocking without increasing the strain on the truck-frame beyond what they are required to sustain in cases where full elliptic springs are used.

It is evident that if the long extension of the lower part of the spring hereinbefore described is properly proportioned in relation to its short extension and to the free extension of the upper part of the spring any given depression of the car-body would produce an equal strain upon the steel in all three portions of said spring, and therefore if these extension or three-quarter elliptic springs have the same carrying capacity as the full elliptic springs heretofore used the strain on the truck-frame Would in no Way be increased, while the spring-base of the truck and support of the car-body are greatly increased. As a matter of fact, however, in practice `I find that with a given speed and a given car and track it is necessary that the extension or three-quarter elliptic springs should have only about two-thirds the carrying capacity required when full elliptic springs are used under the same conditions. Furthermore,

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the extension elliptic springs combined with the spiral supporting-springs carry the car as steadily as a double-truck car, while with the stiifer full elliptic springs the car will oscillate badly, and therefore by preventing oscillation the extension elliptic springs actually reduce the strain on the truck-frame.

The combination of the three-quarter elliptic springs with the spiral springs of the truck is important in that the spiral springs support the car-body, while the three-quarter elliptic springs constitute an extended springbase beyond the truck-frame which prevents rocking of the car-body and at the saine time steadies the latter. With this construction and combination there is a gradual diminution of the spring power toward the ends of the car, the spring power over the center of the three-quarter elliptic springs being less than that of the spiral springs and that of the ends of the three-quarter elliptic springs being still less. The arrangement of the three-quarter elliptic springs with one arm of each spring extending a considerable distance beyond the end of the truck-frame and supporting the car-body, when used in connection with the spiral springs, is very efficient, as it has been found in practice to practically prevent the rocking of the car-body. Moreover, the spiral springs absorb the iniinitelyfine vibrations caused by the motion of the car, so that the two forms of springs operate together to hold the car much steadier than in any construct-ion heretofore used.

That which I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a truck for a four-wheeled car, the combination with a car-body, of three-quarter elliptic springs, each having its single end longer than its double end, and also having two bearings on the car-body, neither of which is inside the bearing of said spring upon the truck-frame, and the longer and single end projected out and upward beyond the truckfraine and acting directly against an overhanging portion of the car-body, and spiral springs arranged uponthe car-truck and supporting the car-body, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In a truck for four-wheeled cars, a threequarter elliptical spring having its single end longer than its double end, said spring having two bearings on the car-body, neither of which is inside the bearing of said spring upon the truck-frame, and the longer single end projected out beyond the truck-frame and supporting the overhanging portion of the carbody, combined with a spiral spring for supporting the car-body, substantially as described.

3. In a truck for four-wheeled cars, an elliptical spring located at each corner of the truck-frame, said elliptical springs being composed of two unequal parts, a lower part attached to the truck-frame having one long end extending out beyond the truck-frame MOSES G. HUBBARD, JR.

Witnesses:

A. H. ADAMS, J. L. JACKSON. 

